Page 27 of The Tryout

I put the food down on the counter in the kitchen, pulling out box after box. He may have a point about the amount of food I got, but I wanted to make sure there’d be something for him to eat.

“How…how much do I owe you?”

I shrug him off.

“It’s on me. If this ends up working out, you’ll have saved me a bunch of time finding a place.”

As I pile food onto one of the plates he’s pulled out, he stands there, biting his lower lip.

“Something wrong?”

The biting gets more intense for a second, then he shakes his head.

“Nah. What’d you get?”

By the time we’re on the sofa with our food, I know this is the right place for me. I’ve managed peeks at both the fridge and the half bath, both of which are cleaner than I’ve ever seen from a hockey guy living alone. The place is a little…spartan, but that’s nothing Dad can’t fix in a long weekend. At least I’m not likely to end up with bedbugs…or cockroaches.

“So, the place seems great. What are you looking for in terms of rent?”

He chews the bite of the birria taco he just took, a little wrinkle creasing the space between his eyebrows. After a minute, he takes a sip from the agua fresca, looking at it in surprise.

“That’s…really fucking good.”

I chuckle, feeling like I’m finally getting a sense for his taste. His experience may be limited, but when push comes to shove, he’s got no problem with something a little more adventurous.

“The rent?”

I mean, I doubt it will really matter at this point. Unless he names a totally ridiculous number, I’m sold.

“Uh, what about…five hundred a month?”

Well, that’s ridiculous, but not in the way I was thinking.

“That seems like not enough.”

“It’s about half the rent.”

“What do you mean about half the rent?”

“Well, I’ve already got the slightly bigger bedroom, so it’s not exactly fair to ask you to pay the same amount, you know?”

I haven’t seen the bedrooms, so I guess he could have a point.

“Okay…but what about utilities? I’m guessing those are all in your name?”

He presses his lips together.

“But, I mean, I need to pay those whether you’re here or not, you know?”

I pin him with a glare, confident I do not know. I decide to try another strategy.

“Why don’t you show me the room? Just so I can get a full idea of the place?”

As though he’s relieved to end the conversation, he jumps up, grabbing my plate along with his and putting them in the kitchen. Then, we walk down the hallway toward the back of the apartment. There, I find two doors, both slightly open. He opens the one on the right, which is the empty bedroom – my bedroom. The wall on the opposite side of the room is nearly all windows, looking out on the river. There’s a large bed, a chest of drawers, and a walk-in closet, but it’s almost entirely a blank slate. To the side, I see the door to an ensuite bathroom.

“Was this place furnished?”

Finn blushes a bit at that.